CONNECTICUT DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION NEWS RELEASE 2800 BERLIN TURNPIKE P.O. BOX 317546 NEWINGTON CONNECTICUT 06131-7546
FOR RELEASE: Upon Receipt	FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS TELEPHONE: (860) 594-3062 Fax: (860) 594-3066 Web site:www.ct.gov/dot

AUGUST/LABOR DAY CRACKDOWN

LAW ENFORCEMENT MESSAGE

OP-ED

‘Drunk Driving.  Over the Limit. Under Arrest.’

Connecticut Prepares a Comprehensive Campaign to Curtail Impaired Driving and to Save Lives

Drunk driving is one of America’s deadliest crimes. Nationally, in 2005, nearly 13,000 people were killed in highway crashes involving a driver or motorcycle operator with an illegal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher. The picture for motorcycle operators is particularly bleak. Forty-one percent of the 1,878 motorcycle operators who died in single-vehicle crashes in 2005 had BAC levels of .08 or higher. Connecticut saw 104 alcohol-related fatalities during this same time period.

State and local law enforcement personnel will join with the Department of Transportation and thousands of other law enforcement officials across the nation, to take part in the Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest. crackdown on impaired driving from August 17^th through the Labor Day holiday.

Our message is simple. No matter what you drive—a passenger car, pickup, sport utility vehicle or motorcycle—if you are stopped for driving while impaired, you will be arrested. No exceptions. No excuses. Law enforcement officials will be out in force conducting sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrols to get more drunk drivers off the road and save lives that might otherwise be lost.

Driving with a BAC of .08 or higher is illegal in every state, yet law enforcement continues to see far too many people suffer debilitating injuries and loss of their loved ones as a result of impaired driving. This careless disregard for human life must stop. To help ensure that happens, Connecticut’s State and local law enforcement officers are dedicated to arresting impaired drivers wherever and whenever they find them.

It’s important to remember, however, that much of the tragedy that comes from drunk driving could be prevented if everyone would take these few simple precautions:

• If you are planning to drink alcohol with friends, designate a sober driver before going out and give that person your keys;
• If you are impaired, call a taxi, use mass transit or call a sober friend or family member to get you home safely;
• Promptly report drunk drivers you see on the roadways to law enforcement;
• Wear your seat belt while in a car or use a helmet and protective gear when on a motorcycle, as these are your best defenses against an impaired driver;
• And remember, if you know someone who is about to drive or ride while impaired, take their keys and help them make other arrangements to get to where they are going safely.

Drunk driving is simply not worth the risk. Not only do you risk killing yourself or someone else, but the trauma and financial costs of a crash or an arrest for impaired driving can be significant. Violators often face jail time, the loss of their driver’s license, higher insurance rates, attorney fees, time away from work, and dozens of other expenses.

Don’t take the chance. Drunk driving is a serious crime. Remember: Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest.